In the moments before the fire department and paramedics come, it’s up to homeowners to know their next move so they can react with caution and get out of harm’s way.

Practicing home emergency drills, having a crisis to-go bag and lowering risks are all ways to be ready when disaster strikes.

Prepare for the worst so you can expect the best outcome with these safety tips.

Prioritize people, not property

Michelle Kay, a six-year American Red Cross of Montana volunteer in Billings, responds to mostly wildfires and flooding disasters. Ninety-percent of what she responds to within city limits are home fires.

Through her work with the American Red Cross’s home fire safety campaign, Kay has collaborated with the Billings Fire Department, ensuring homeowners have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in every living space and bedroom. She recommends having detectors by the furnace and water heater, as that is where carbon monoxide leaks are most likely.

Portable heaters, dry Christmas trees with lights on them, turkey fryers and unattended candles are some reasons the local Red Cross office receives several calls weekly for home fires during the holiday season.

And it’s the homeowners reflecting on the home emergency that gives Kay cause for concern. They tell her, “‘I tried to grab one more thing, you know?’” Kay said.

“Everybody kind of tries to stay a little bit longer than they should,” she said. “You can’t replace a life. Nothing is worth losing your life over your home.”

Kay says you want to be able to get out of the house in two minutes, and have two ways to escape from any room.

Worksheets are available online to draw out a fire escape plan.

“Let your kids know what it looks like so they’re not scared,” she said. “Have a meeting place, whether it’s across the street or down the street.”

Driven to be safe

Because escaping is more important than grabbing belongings during a house fire, Kay says to store emergency supplies in your car, where they’re more likely to be used.

“(Homeowners) should already have a winter preparedness kit in the car,” she said.

But for homes in areas prone to wildfires, kits can also be kept near the front door with important documents like house deeds. Homeowners may have more time to react in those instances.

According to the Yellowstone County 2011 Emergency Operations Plan, flooding is ranked priority number one for natural hazards in a risk-based assessment; wildfires and urban fires are ranked second and eighth, respectively. Winter storms have the highest probability for disaster. The assessment, conducted in 2004 and updated in 2010, bases priority on the estimated probability and impact of the hazard.

In deep water

Phil Witschi, co-owner of Big Sky Disaster Restoration in Billings, says water damage is a more prevalent home emergency than fire or smoke. The business receives several water-related calls to every fire- or smoke-related one.

As flooded basements, leaky roofs and broken pipes are discovered, Witschi says that’s when homeowners should be notifying someone.

“If you wait, all it takes is about 70-degrees temperature, a little bit of moisture, some source of food, and mold is growing,” he said.

Many homeowners don’t notice the emergency until water is coming in through a wall.

The degree of damage depends on where the water originated. Water coming from within the home is safer than water coming from outside. Ground water ruins carpeting since it carries animal feces and other bacteria.

Built for shedding water that gradually drops, roofs are not sealed water-tight and moisture can move beneath shingles and leak into the house, he said.

“We have trouble praying for the Lord to bless our business because that means catastrophe for other people,” said Witschi. “You have to be cognizant of the hazards.”

Winter weather advisory

An October 28, 2016 article authored by Jannel Okeson on Montana’s official state website, www.mt.gov, says there have been 27 fatalities in Montana from extreme winter weather since 2000, mostly due to automobile accidents, avalanches and cold weather exposure. The article outlines what homeowners should store in their vehicles, as well as carry in their homes if storm conditions persist for more than one day.

Although following weather reports is a traveler’s first line of defense, the government suggests drivers carry the following: a mobile phone and charger; blankets and sleeping bags; a flashlight with extra batteries; a first-aid kit; extra clothing; a shovel, windshield scraper and brush; a tool kit; a tow rope; battery booster cables; a water container; a compass and road maps; high-calorie, non-perishable food; a small can and waterproof matches to melt snow for drinking water; and a knife.

Because loss of heat, power and communications are likely in severe winter weather, precautionary items to keep in the home include: a flashlight and extra batteries; a battery-powered NOAA weather radio; extra food, water, medicine and baby items; first-aid supplies; an emergency heat source; heating fuel; a fire extinguisher; smoke alarms (tested monthly) and food, water and shelter for pets and livestock.

Residents of communities impacted by severe winter storms can use the American Red Cross website to notify friends and family of their wellbeing or call 1 (866) GET-INFO.

Ted Koenig is more of a behind-the-scenes guy. In his work as a disaster program manager with the Red Cross, he puts his analytical mind to use, coordinating 150 volunteers throughout Northwest Montana to ensure the agency’s humanitarian mission is carried out year-round.

But when the Caribbean was pummeled by a series of hurricanes this summer, Koenig had a chance to join the boots-on-the-ground effort in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“In the past, I’d been in a position to help people get out the door, now it was my turn to actually do something like that,” he said.

On Sept. 25, Koenig landed in Atlanta — the staging point for relief volunteers bound for both the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Four days later, he arrived in St. Thomas — a formerly picturesque territory with a population of 51,000 — which was devastated by back-to-back Category 5 hurricanes Irma and Maria. The storms struck the island chain with winds up to 175 mph, virtually destroying the island’s power grid, homes and other resources.

When Koenig deployed, he was instructed to prepare for the unknown.

“They didn’t know where [staff and volunteers] were going to be staying. They were asking people to bring bug nets and a lot of bug spray, be willing to sleep on the floor, you’re going to be eating meals ready to eat,” Koenig said. “It was expected to be austere, so they wanted a certain type of volunteer or staff member to be down there, somebody who’d be able to weather that and still do the work on a day-to-day basis.”

Koenig, who’d spent three years in the Peace Corps stationed in rural Madagascar, fit the bill and offered himself up for the task.

Koenig was among the first wave of volunteers to relieve staff who had weathered the storms, and there was much work to be done. Although he was sent to the island as a planner, those first few days had Koenig delivering food and cleanup supplies to rural residents who either were unable to leave their homes or lived too far out to access a FEMA distribution center.

“We hopped in minivans, we tore all the seats out, we shoved as much materials in there as we could and went door to door,” he said.

Koenig enlisted the help of local volunteers who were able to guide the newcomers and provide cultural know-how. For example, it was perfectly acceptable to give a polite honk when making deliveries so folks would come outside, or to holler “hello inside!” to let residents know help had arrived.

“Being able to deliver those was a really heartwarming experience,” Koenig said of the food boxes, which contained canned goods, tortillas and other essentials.

“We hopped in minivans, we tore all the seats out, we shoved as much materials in there as we could and went door to door.”

One delivery in particular stands out.

They stopped at a gentleman’s home who expressed concern about a man who’d done work on his home. He told Koenig he hadn’t seen the man and wanted the Red Cross to make sure he was OK.

“He gets on a little scooter and he takes us down the ugliest, messiest roads .. there’s power poles and trees lying down in them,” Koenig recalled.

After 10 minutes navigating the treacherous roadway, they arrived to find the carpenter at his home and delivered a food box.

“I was really touched by that,” Koenig said of the man’s concern for his carpenter. “People really look out for each other.”

After four or five days distributing supplies, Koenig began the work of his original assignment at Red Cross headquarters. He helped supply information to higher-ups so they could make decisions about where and when resources were needed most, guiding the recovery efforts on the island. One of Keonig’s chief duties was to orchestrate information gathering about damage to residences. He sent out specially trained teams who compiled data on the extent of the damage so the agency could better distribute their time and resources.

When he wasn’t at work, Koenig resided on a retired Navy ship, the S.S. Wright. He was grateful for the accommodation, but noted he slept in tight quarters with “78 of my closest friends,” he said.

“They could have been EMTs from New Jersey, they could have been linemen from Wyoming there to restore the power grid, they could have been all-hands volunteers who were there to do muck-outs of the schools … they could have been Army Corps of Engineers staff members … it was just a really interesting mix of people,” Koenig said.

And everyone, he said, was working as hard as they could. But disaster relief on an island presented a unique set of challenges — namely transportation.

Stateside, Koenig is accustomed to requesting supplies and having them on-site in 24 hours, but that was not the case on St. Thomas. Items had to be placed in a container, then on a boat and sorted out once in port.

After two and a half weeks on the island, it was time for Koenig to return home. He described his departure as a “bittersweet” moment — he knew there was still much to be done in St. Thomas, but he had responsibilities at his work in Montana. He left inspired by the people he met on the island, and reassured that the team replacing him would continue doing what needed to be done.

“You’re dealing with so many dynamics, so many things that you wouldn’t expect,” he said. “I have a new appreciation for how difficult it is to do disaster recovery and response work effectively.”

To get involved with the Red Cross or to donate to hurricane relief efforts, visit www.redcross.org.

This story was written by Mackenzie Reiss at the Kalispell Daily Inter Lake. She also took the photograph.